Too many stories, too many coincidences, too many unspoken answered requests for me to ever deny that my savior lives and is actively involved in my life.
Here's a perfect example.
Last year when my two oldest kids were heading off to their mission trip in Costa Rica, I told Shawn that I wanted to go with them the next year because they work with kids in the orphanages when they go and my heart has always desired to come along side orphans and work/help in some way. We were also sending out a team at the same time to Belarus to help run a VBS for special needs kids and their families. Both teams were there that day, being prayed over before they all headed out. Shawn asked me why wouldn't I want to go do the Belarus thing instead since I am heavily involved in the special needs area with my church and with my own son. He thought it would be a better fit. I told him that it wasn't my thing. I am already actively involved in working with special needs kids through our church, my community, and in my own family. I didn't need to travel around the world to do more of it.
Three days later, I was driving Liam to therapy, praying over my kids and their team in Costa Rica, asking God to allow the kids to see him in a new, tangible way and praying for their safety when my prayers were interrupted and I heard, "You're going to Belarus next year."
Excuse me?
Whaaaaaaaaat??
You have to understand, I had NO desire to go to Belarus. None. It hadn't ever crossed my mind and only because Shawn asked me about it had I ever even discussed it. This was not for me. It wasn't my thing. I didn't want to go.
Yet here I am in prayer over my children when a word from the Lord comes through loud and clear, completely seperate from my prayer content, and what seemed to be for me, from way out in left field. It was bizarre.
At first I wasn't sure it just wasn't my crazy brain thinking it all on it's own, but when I realized that I wasn't even praying over Belarus and the team and that I didn't even desire to go there, I knew this was absolutely a word from God. I got the chills. I didn't say anything to anyone.
Then the team got back two weeks later.
One of the members got off the plane, went home, and immediately called me. He says to me, "You're going to Belarus next year."
UH, Whaaaat?
I was floored. If he could have seen my face right then, I was just shocked. I threw up excuses....it's too expensive, I just don't know, it's too expensive, I'd have to think about it. And then he said, "No, really, you are going next year. God already told me." And I'm thinking, yeah, he told me that too buddy.
I didn't tell him right then what I had heard God clearly say to me in prayer. I kept it quiet until I saw his wife, and still in a stage of unbelief, I shared with her what had happened. I told her the whole story. She said that it was confirmed to me three different times over three weeks. Pretty hard to dispute that I shouldn't go.
And God has had my back every step of the way. All of the money needed to get my team over to Belarus has been paid for. He has worked out all the plans and everything is going perfectly for our team to live courageously, answering God's call, and work with special needs families and their children.
I do appreciate your prayers for us as we go. We don't go until the end of July but things are a mess in Ukraine, which is right below Belarus, so we pray for continued peace in Belarus because the town we are in will be right on the Russian border. I don't like flying that much so prayer for me as I travel without Shawn who normally keeps me sane in the plane and of course prayer for safe travels and lives touched and changed. <3 p="">
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| We will be flying into Minsk and then on to the city of Orsha. |
How amazing is our God? I freely admit, I had no desire to go, but God has seen fit to send me and I couldn't be anymore excited. I know this trip is for his glory and is serving a huge purpose not only in my life but in the lives of all those who will hear the story. Because I am proof that our God is a living, active father who speaks and only asks us to listen and say yes.
